President Trump Calls on UN to Offer More Whistleblower Protections

In President Donald Trump’s first official speech at the United Nations, he urged the global body to take more steps to protect whistleblowers.

In his remarks, he spoke about a need for the UN to offer greater protections to UN officials who speak up about internal wrongdoing, saying, “We seek a United Nations that regains the trust of the people around the world. In order to achieve this, the United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protected whistleblowers and focus on results rather than on process.”

The remarks offered a different view than his frequent criticism of “leaks” in his administration. He has repeatedly criticized officials who release damaging or embarrassing information about his administration, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has tripled the number of leak investigations that had existed at the end of the Obama administration.

However, President Trump has strengthened whistleblower protections in other regards. For example, he signed legislation to protect whistleblowers in the Department of Veterans Affairs with the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act.

Whistleblower protections not in question

Despite the president’s repeatedly bemoaning the existence of leaks in his administration, it does not appear that federal whistleblower protections are in any danger under his administration. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Whistleblower continues to run its whistleblower claims program, and numerous pieces of federal legislation remain in place to award whistleblowers for their service and protect them from retaliation.

For more information on the state of whistleblower protections moving forward in the Trump administration, meet with a knowledgeable Dallas attorney at Whistleblower Law for Managers.